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Tag: Tylenol

  • ADHD Study: Could Tylenol Cause ADHD?

    ADHD Study: Could Tylenol Cause ADHD?

    Tylenol, the most popular over the counter pain medication, is in the headlines again. The last time the product was questioned was in June 2012 when it was rapidly pulled from shelves during a recall. That recall was due to leached pesticides, particles of wood and metal, infectious bacteria, and lets not forget that strange moldy and musty scent.

    To be fair, it isn’t exclusively Tylenol that the recent study conducted blames on ADHD, but all medications that contain acetaminophen.

    Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol and Panadol and is also present in Excedrin, among other common pain relievers. But, because Tylenol is used by more than 50 percent of pregnant women, Tylenol came under fire.

    Although this drug has passed FDA standards decades ago, and pregnant women have been told it is safe, it appears that may not be altogether correct. A study published on Monday by the journal JAMA Pediatrics that studied 64,322 live-born children and mothers enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort during 1996-2002 has found that it is linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – ADHD.

    ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders. Symptoms include difficulties staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. It is generally treated with stimulant drugs that are prescribed by physicians such as Adderall and Ritalin. There are many others, however, these are the most common.

    Data suggests that acetaminophen is a hormone disruptor, and abnormal hormonal exposures in pregnancy may influence fetal brain development.

    That study has shown that the probability of a child developing ADHD symptoms severe enough to require medication increased by 63 percent when the mother took acetaminophen during the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

    When acetaminophen was used during the third trimester exclusively, the likelihood of ADHD rose to around 28 percent. The lowest risk came when pregnant women used it during their first trimester only.

    However, for pregnant women, the study underscores that even when a medication is billed as safe, the safest route is to take it as rarely as possible and at the lowest effective dose, said UCLA obstetrician Dr. Daniel Kahn, a maternal-fetal health specialist who was not involved in the study.

    “This highlights the point that the lowest exposure is always the best, for any agent,” Kahn said. He advises his pregnant patients to “use as little as possible to meet your needs, and if you’re having unmet needs beyond that, we need to talk about it.”

    He also commented that these findings won’t hinder his recommendation of acetaminophen for pain altogether.

    “It certainly wouldn’t stop me from treating a fever,” he said, noting that unchecked fevers have been associated with a number of poor health outcomes in babies, including lowered IQs.

    I would think that is a decision best left to the pregnant mothers.

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  • ADHD Symptoms Linked To Mother’s Tylenol Usage

    A new study shows that mothers who used Tylenol on a regular basis while pregnant are more likely to have children with ADHD symptoms. Many doctors give their pregnant patients a list of medicines that are safe to take for small health issues such as headaches, fever and aches and pains, and Tylenol is always listed as one of these safe medications.

    The study was based on an ongoing Danish study of 64,000 children and their mothers. While the mothers were pregnant, they were called often to ask if they were taking any pain killers or medication. The mothers who admitted to taking Tylenol were the same mothers who were at a 29 percent higher risk of having a child diagnosed with ADHD, and a 37 percent higher risk of a rarer diagnosis called hyperkinetic syndrome.

    The researchers are not positive that Tylenol is entirely to blame and admit that the women who were taking the painkillers could have all been suffering from an underlying disease that not only motivated them to take Tylenol, but could have caused the ADHD symptoms in their children. There are many infections and diseases that can affect the fetus inside the mother who is suffering from that infection or illness.

    The study has sparked an interest in the link between Tylenol and certain syndromes. Many doctors have long suspected that Tylenol and other medications that are labeled as safe for pregnant women could really be harmful to the developing fetus.

    “I don’t think one study alone is enough to say nobody should use acetaminophen in pregnancy,” said Dr. Jeff Chapa of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.

    Doctors and researchers say that in spite of the study, they are not claiming that taking one Tylenol will cause a baby to be born with ADHD or another disorder. The study was not able to determine how much is too much. Researchers suggest that pregnant women limit the amount of Tylenol they are taking while pregnant until more studies can be completed and the link between Tylenol and ADHD can be better understood.

    Do you think it is safe to take painkillers while pregnant?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Is Acetaminophen, AKA Tylenol, Causing Asthma Rise?

    On Monday, The Daily Mail reported that children who were given liquid Paracetamol for pain relief, in the form of a drink such as Calpol, just once a month were five times as likely to develop asthma as children not given paracetamol. For those of us who live in America, Paracetamol is just another name for Acetaminophen. Also known as the generic name for TYLENOL! While the research is not conclusive, this is disturbing news for parents who must give their children relief from the pain of an illness.

    Asthma rates have been steadily on the increase for several decades. Many experts around the world are looking for reasons that could explain this trend. Concurrently, Paracetamol, aka Acetaminophen, has become the most widely used, and widely considered safe, treatment for fever and pain in children. So, are these factors related?

    The study was published last year in the European Journal of Public Health, in which scientists in Spain examined paracetamol use by more than 20,000 children and teenagers in Galicia. They found that Paracetamol consumption was associated with a significant increase in asthma symptoms and the effect was greater the more often the drug was taken.

    “All the asthma symptoms analysed increased significantly with paracetamol consumption,” they wrote. “The effects appear stronger in 6- to 7-year-old children, where the taking of paracetamol at least once a month in the last year is associated with a five times more probability of having asthma symptoms, compared with those children who had never taken paracetamol.” For teenagers, having paracetamol at least once in the previous year was associated with an increase of 43% in exercise-induced asthma.

    This is not the only study to be done on the Paracetamol and asthma link. In 2009, scientists at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute in Canada carried out a meta-analysis of existing research and found an increased risk of asthma in children and adults who took Paracetamol. In 2010, researchers at Imperial College London delivered a study surrounding more than 11,000 children. They found that taking paracetamol in the first six months of life was associated with higher instances of asthma and wheezing.

    Also occuring in 2010, scientists in New Zealand found that using Paracetamol before the age of 15 months was associated with a higher risk of children being predisposed to allergies at the age of six.

    The New Zealand study was covered extensively in media. Because of that the NHS Choices website issued an explaination of the potential links between paracetamol and childhood asthma. “Parents should not be concerned by this research or assume that Paracetamol-based medicines may give their children asthma,” they concluded.

    “This [NZ] study has only found associations between paracetamol and asthma symptoms in a cross-sectional analysis, meaning that it has not established any cause-and-effect relationship between the two. As it stands, it may be the case that children with symptoms such as wheezing, a potential sign of asthma, were given paracetamol due to their existing symptoms. The study has a number of further limitations that mean its results need further verification, ideally through good quality clinical research.”

    However, this was what is known as a cross-sectional study. The authors themselves were cautious not to over-claim in their paper. “Our study has some limitations,” they wrote. “On one hand, on being a cross-sectional study, a causal relationship cannot be established. On the other hand, the possibility of ‘inverse causality’ must be considered.”

    To make it clear, it might be that children with asthma are more likely to pick up coughs and colds that require painkillers. However, the researchers add that, “this [reverse causality] should not influence the prevalence of eczema, which was also increased in children who took more paracetamol.”

    The UK’s government body that regulates the use of pharmaceuticals is the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). In light of the Spanish study, a spokesman said: “The safety of Paracetamol, as for all medicines, is kept under review by the MHRA. We are aware of the reported possible association between Paracetamol and asthma symptoms in children and have been carefully reviewing data on this issue as it emerges. The MHRA, with advice from our independent advisory committees, will carefully consider the findings in this latest study to determine what, if any, regulatory action is needed.”

    Image via wikipedia

  • Tylenol Warnings Serve as Grave Reminder

    Tylenol Warnings Serve as Grave Reminder

    Very soon the Tylenol products that we know as the safest pain reliever available and use without fear for every little ache will carry bright red warning labels on the lid. These warnings are a product of numerous lawsuits and pressure by the federal government.The warnings will start in October on Extra Strength Tylenol and become widespread on other Tylenol products in the following months.

    The warnings are intended to make clear the possible sudden liver failure or even death that can be caused by taking too much Tylenol in a day. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that overdoses of Acetaminophen send between 50,000 to 80,000 people to the emergency room each year and claim the lives of around 500. So what is the factor that turns the safest pain reliever into a killer? Humans. That’s right.

    Apparently, we all assume we need the highest dose available to begin with. Many stores don’t even carry Regular Strength Tylenol on their shelves anymore. I’m not sure I have ever seen a regular strength bottle in anyone’s medicine cabinet. Extra Strength has 1,000mg of Acetaminophen, compared to 650 mg in the Regular Strength dose. The maximum safe dosage is 4,000mg per day

    Here’s the danger: You just had surgery, so you take your Vicodin or Percocet, which contain 2600mg daily of Acetaminophen in the two pills every six hours . You still feel pain, so You think you could just add Extra Strength Tylenol to the regimen, for another 3,000mg. Now, you also have a cold, or trouble sleeping, so you take Nyquil to sleep. You’re a tough guy and don’t need to read labels, so you don’t realize that Nyquil also contains 650mg of Acetaminophen. A regular dose. After a few days on this 6,250mg regimen, liver failure is a real risk.

    However, there are still cases where, researchers say, the patients with liver failure took the recommended dose. They say it could be genetic predisposition, or it could be a human predisposition to lie for money. My bet is, it’s the second, but READ LABELS, PEOPLE! And be careful about the dose you take.

    Image via Wikipedia

  • Acetaminophen Warning: FDA Adds Additional Concerns

    The FDA has announced a new warning Thursday for the manufacturers of acetaminophen, Tylenol, and similar medications. The official FDA consumer update warns consumers of the dangers of rare skin diseases associated with acetaminophen use, the symptoms of which include “rash, blisters and, in the worst case, widespread damage to the surface of skin.”

    The link was discovered using the FDA’s medical literature and the Adverse Event Reporting System. 107 total cases of skin diseases linked to acetaminophen were found between 1969 and 2012; 67 of those were hospitalized and 12 died as a result. The FDA cites medical literature as having documented just over two dozen cases involving people of various ages.

    The deputy director of the FDA’s Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Addiction, Steven Hertz, M.D., said that the new warning labels are not intended to worry doctors or patients, merely that it’s “important that people recognize and react quickly to the initial symptoms of these rare but serious, side effects, which are potentially fatal.”

    LiveScience notes that, unfortunately, there is no easy way of being able to tell who might suffer such an adverse reaction while taking the medication; on that subject, the FDA has said that the benefits of acetaminophen outweigh its risks.

    Manufacturers of medicines that include acetaminophen as an ingredient are now required to warn their customers of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a reaction that ABC News notes is happening after the Supreme Court had an important ruling related to the drug company’s failure to warn her of the possibility she could contract a life-altering skin disease.

    Although the FDA may come under criticism for choosing to sound the alarm over Stevens-Johnson syndrome, the decision comes two years after the FDA limited all prescription products to 325 mg/capsule. Dr. Hertz believes the risk is severe enough that doctors and patients should be made aware, and that the FDA’s decision should be examined in the context of the generations of people who have treated pain with acetaminophen.